GSA launches survey for new Polaris small business vehicle

The General Services Administration has issued a survey to learn more about the technology capabilities of potential small business bidders on its $15 billion Polaris governmentwide contract vehicle.

Polaris is the redo of GSA’s failed attempt to field the $15 billion Alliant 2 Small Business contract, which was cancelled in early July.

GSA's questions get at experience and capability levels of the respondents. For example, one question has seven technology service areas -- software development, IT operations, data management, systems engineering, information and communications technology, cybersecurity and cloud computing.

GSA wants respondents to pick their experience level from experience as a prime, commercial experience, whether they can offer the service through a partner or if they do not provide the service at all.

Other questions include how many IT services contracts the respondent has completed, value of the largest contract and what their primary focus is.

GSA also wants to know the level of experience with technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, block chain, edge computing and immersive technologies.

Other questions explore compliance such as cost accounting systems and audits.

The survey deadline is Oct. 30. Late last week, GSA also posted the YouTube vide of its industry forum from Sept. 9. It is all audio and there are no visuals.

In its Small Business GWAC Community of Interest blog, GSA is pushing Polaris as a vehicle to deliver innovation to government buyers. The technology areas they ask about in the survey also are listed as priority areas of interest by the GSA blog.

Deltek is estimating December for the draft solicitation's release and June for the final request for proposals to come out. That timeline puts awards as likely in early 2022.